Our last full day in Seattle was spent enjoying nature (the weather was perfect for this!), and exploring a couple of little towns outside of the city. Two girls in our group took a ferry to the San Juan Islands for some whale watching, which they loved (but it is COLD out there on the water so dress appropriately!) The rest of us hopped in the rental car and headed east.

Our first stop was the Japanese Garden at Washington Park Arboretum. I probably could have spent all day here just sitting in the peace and quiet. It was beautiful!

We were starting to get hungry, so it was off to Woodinville for some lunch at Teddy’s Bigger Burgers. (I had a veggie burger that was pretty good, and sweet potato fries that might be the best ones I’ve ever tasted!) But the main reason we went to Woodinville is because it’s wine country! There are no actual vineyards to walk through out there (they’re all about 2-3 hours south, I believe), but there are PLENTY of places to drink! We only went to one tasting at DeLille Cellars, though. (Cute little place, and the wine was great!) Being the last day of our trip, we were running out of money, so we decided to find some FREE things to do…

Just a ways up the road we ran into the Woodinville Lavender Farm. I have never seen lavender plants like this! Gorgeous! And the smell…ahhh!

Continuing with the botanical theme, our next stop was Bellevue Botanical Garden about 20 minutes away. Don’t be fooled by the fact that it currently looks like a construction site! There is a lot of beauty to be found behind those barriers! We saw so many wonderful plants and flowers that would never grow in my neck of the woods.

Snack time! Back to the city for some gourmet cheeses at The Calf and Kid! YUM YUM YUM! We split a cheese plate with some crackers and fig jelly…wow! Cheese will never be the same again…

Back to our condo for a little bit of downtime before dinner. We considered ordering in, but there was a cute little pizza place a few blocks away, so we decided to walk down there instead. (Less for us to clean up later, right?) If you’re ever in the Belltown area of Seattle, stop for a bite at Bambino’s Pizzeria. The pizza is great (and pretty reasonably priced!) They have an extensive drink menu, or if you’re not in the mood for alcohol…coke in glass bottles!! (Why does it taste better like that?!)

And that pretty much ends the highlights of my trip! Something tells me that a separate post about cleaning up the condo, packing, then sitting at the airport wouldn’t make for a good read! (Though, recycling is mandatory in the city of Seattle…let’s just say there was some trash digging involved…lol)

Saturday morning, our group split up. Two of the girls wanted to go exploring outside the city, and the rest of us were ready to hit the tourist spots with the least amount of walking required. Enter Ride the Ducks of Seattle! This 90 minute tour takes you through the highlights of Seattle (the waterfront, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, the downtown shopping district and Fremont), then drives right into Lake Union! Is it a van, a bus, a boat?! No one knows. But it was awesome! Our tour guide was fantastic! I highly HIGHLY recommend this. (Again, not getting paid to say that!)

Then, we were off to the Space Needle! Holy long lines in the heat! We waited at least an hour before we could go up, but it was totally worth it. I’m not a fan of heights, so I was a little nervous, but once you get up there it doesn’t seem like you’re over 600 feet off the ground, and the view is spectacular!

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know that I was in Seattle for a girls weekend last week. These are the highlights of my trip! (Pictures or it didn’t happen, right?!) I’ve decided to split this into three posts, just because it’s going to be EPIC otherwise! **P.S. I am not receiving compensation for posting any of the following links – only sharing my experience!**

We all flew into Seattle on Friday morning, and while we were waiting to check into our condo, we explored the Pike Place Market. OMG – so much awesome! I had to take a picture of the original Starbucks, of course. (Forget going inside, though…the line was out the door and down the street!) We stopped at Pike Place Chowder for some lunch, followed by gelato at Bottega Italiana. A quick trip back to the market for some fresh fish and produce to prepare Saturday night’s dinner (we opted to actually make some use of the kitchen in our condo), and we were ready to get settled in to our home for the next few days.

If you ever visit the Seattle area, and need a bigger place to stay, check out Sea to Sky Rentals! They have several locations available to rent, but our party of five stayed in Centennial Tower. The location was FANTASTIC! I couldn’t get enough of the view! (It’s even more amazing at night!)

Once we got settled in, it was dinner time. We drove down to the pier for some yummy seafood at Elliot’s Oyster House. Luckily, we decided to spring for valet parking, because parking at the pier was a mess. Dinner ran pretty late (as you would expect on a Friday evening, so keep that in mind if you’re so hungry you could eat your arm!) Rather than ride the Ferris Wheel (not that I would have anyway – heights and I do not mix), we headed back to the condo to get some much needed sleep.

I don’t know about you, but most of my friends are spread out all over the country, so we usually end up sending gift cards in order to avoid shipping costs.

But if you prefer to send an actual gift (or don’t have to worry about standing in line at the post office!), here are a few ideas!

I am kind of obsessed with someecards. Seriously. I know they’re occasionally dumb, but it’s like the lyrics of a song…sometimes they say exactly what I wish I could! SO…if you have a friend like me who can’t stop pinning or Facebooking these things – give them one for EVERY DAY OF 2013!!!! TF Publishing, who makes a ton of other awesome calendars by the way!), sells a 2013 Someecards Daily Desktop Calendar! All calendar pages are printed on FSC certified paper and use environmentally safe inks.

NOTE – If you know me personally, and are expecting a Christmas gift from me – you probably should not buy this for yourself…just sayin’!

I stumbled across Jen’s blog via a friend on Facebook. {Yes, it really is called PEOPLE I WANT TO PUNCH IN THE THROAT – how could that NOT be entertaining?!} The link took me to a post on Over Achieving Elf on the Shelf Mommies from last December. I. COULD. NOT. STOP. LAUGHING! {Oh, what is this “Elf on the Shelf” she’s talking about? Yeah, apparently everyone but me has one or two.} Now, in contrast, I do enjoy the Inappropriate Elf Contest that Jill @ Baby Rabies hosts…but I don’t have the time or creativity to do that myself, so I’m siding with Jen here.

Speaking of books – I have a great one for your mommy friends. Sh*tty Mom: The Parenting Guide for the Rest of Us This one came up on my Amazon recommendations, which judging by the title, probably should have been a red flag…until I read the table of contents! How can I not read a book that discusses “How to Sleep Until 9 A.M. Every Weekend” and “When Seeing an Infant Triggers a Mental Illness That Makes You Want to Have Another Baby”, because I want both of these things right now, which makes no logical sense whatsoever! *Adds to wishlist*

If you plan on attending any holiday parties this year, perhaps you should celebrate with some drinking games! There’s no time for sipping wine or eggnog, folks. You’re on a schedule! You need to get the quickest buzz you can so you have time to sober up a little before you have to go home to the babysitter! (I may or may not be speaking from experience.) My personal favorite is beer pong, but there are all kinds of ideas! Remember Plinko from the TV show “The Price is Right”? Now you can play DRINKO!

You and your friends not really the drinking type? No problem! Board games make fun gifts to pass the time on those chilly nights. My friends and I love playing Apples to Apples, and this year, they have a new edition – SOUR APPLES TO APPLES

I think a lot of us say things without thinking. A conversation takes a wrong turn, tensions rise, and before you know it…anger and f-bombs are flying everywhere.

And you can’t take it back.

I lost someone in my life recently. Well, several people actually. An amazing group of women that I’ve been close to for the past two years. We’ve shared so much. But something I said indirectly rubbed someone the wrong way, and the tempers flared.

Trying to reconcile, apologize, and put it all behind us apparently made it even worse…

The fact of the matter is, you never know what anyone is going through. Whether their anger is slightly justified. In a situation like this, though, I guess it doesn’t matter. People only see and hear what they want to.

As they say (whoever they are), when one door closes, another opens. So, I’m closing the door. Maybe I’ll still keep in touch with some of them. Maybe not. But, it’s time to move on. It’s hard to believe that two years of friendship can end just like that…but I don’t feel welcome there anymore.